• Nigeria to save $100m yearly
Nigeria is at the verge of saving as much as $100 million dollars yearly, as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety Agency (NIMASA) took delivery of a floating dockyard in Lagos.
The facility, rated as Africa’s fifth largest, was visibly seen at the Marina anchorage on Tuesday, as hope rises that it would promote local dry-docking and place Nigeria has hub for maintenance of ships. The facility is estimated to cost about N49 billion.
The Head, Corporate Communications, NIMASA, Isichei Osamgbi, said the agency would issue a statement to announce its arrival, but not ready as at press time.
The modular floating dockyard, measuring 125metres by 35metres with three in-built cranes, transformers and a number of ancillary facilities, is being built by one of the world’s largest ship building firms, Damen Shipyards and its partner, NIRDA, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
NIMASA initiated the project in 2013 but work started in 2014 before it was halted. The current leadership of NIMASA then revisited the project and ensured its delivery.
Peterside said currently over 90 per cent of vessels operating in Nigeria carry out their dry docking overseas fretting away the much needed foreign exchange at great cost to the country.
He said: “This will be a direct savings from the dry docking of vessels operating in Nigeria, which are mostly done outside the country at the moment. It is our desire to partner with the private sector to run the dockyard.”
